WINTER HAVEN, Fla. –  On Friday afternoon, the Lock Haven University (2-4) softball team opened spring break with a split day at the PFX Tournament.

Lock Haven used an offensive outburst to surge to a victory over American International University in the opener by an 11-3 tally, before dropping the nightcap to Lake Erie by a 3-1 score.

Game 1: W, 11-3

Following a scoreless opening set of innings, the Bald Eagles got on the board in a big way in the top of the third. Morgan Karasek (Bangor, Pa./Bangor) opened the inning by drawing a hit by pitch before Riley McClellan (Granville Summit, Pa./Troy) put two runners on by drawing a walk.

Karasek and McClellan crossed the plate on a two-RBI single to left field from the bat of Summer Peters (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg) to put LHU ahead by a 2-0 lead in the middle of the third. Peters made it a 3-0 Lock Haven advantage when she scored on a Bella Schmitt (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern York) single to center later in the inning.

American International responded with two runs of its own and the two teams each added a run in the fifth, but it was the Bald Eagles owning a 4-3 advantage after five innings of action.

Lock Haven blew the game wide open with a five-run, sixth-inning as the Crimson and White batted around to put the game away.

Delaney Good (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg) highlighted the offensive outburst with a two-RBI double, plating McClellan and Amanda Criss (Bel Air, Md./Bel Air) to push the Lock Haven lead to 7-3. Haley Lestician (Lawrenceville, N.J./Lawrence) drove in Good with a double of her own, before the Bald Eagles added an insurance run on a Mikayla Ruppert (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) single to center as LHU opened up a 9-3 lead after five-and-a-half innings of action.

In the seventh, Peters belted a double to center to score McClellan and Lestician added an RBI single as the Bald Eagles rounded out the scoring and earned an 11-3 victory over the Yellow Jackets.  

Lock Haven pounded out a dozen hits in the win. Peters led a quartet of Bald Eagles with two hits each, as the Lancaster, Pa. native went 2-for-3 with three RBI and a pair of runs scored.

Madison Waltman (Turbotville, Pa./Warrior Run) was effective in the circle to earn her second win of the year. Waltman allowed three runs on three hits and struck out five over six innings of work to secure the victory. Kinley Gioglio (Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) pitched the final inning of action and put the Yellow Jackets down in order to close out the Bald Eagles second victory of the year.

Game 2: L, 3-1

In the nightcap, the Bald Eagles weren't able to overcome an early outburst from Lake Erie as the Storm handed LHU a 3-1 defeat.

Lake Erie ran out to a 3-0 lead after two innings of play before the Bald Eagles responded in the home half of the third. Good reached over a Lake Erie error and was pushed to second on a Peters single as the Bald Eagles threatened in the third. Lestician roped a double, plating Good in the process to trim the deficit to 3-1. Lake Erie was able to work its way out of the mini-jam in the third, and maintain a 3-1 lead after three innings of play.

The Bald Eagles threatened in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings with runners in scoring position in each frame, but LHU was unable to plate a run as the Lake Erie lead remained at a 3-1 tally with one inning remaining.

After shutting the Storm down in the top of the seventh, Lock Haven threatened again in the seventh as Peters singled with one away, but the Bald Eagles couldn't plate a runner in the inning as they fell by a 3-1 tally.

Peters tallied three hits as a part of a 3-for-4 game to lead the Bald Eagles offense.

Jada Schellhammer (Tamaqua, Pa./Tamaqua) picked up the loss, allowing three runs over 1 1/3 innings of work. Gioglio was impressive in relief, tossing 5 and 2/3 innings of shutout work while fanning a pair of Lake Erie batters.

Up Next:
The Bald Eagles are back in action tomorrow at the PFX Tournament with matchups against Northwood at 2:30 p.m. and Saint Michael's at 4:45 p.m.